July 26, 2021

Media Announcement

​

ACOCo is saddened to announce the forced cancellation of the Melbourne season of The Enchanted Pig, scheduled to open at The Athenaeum Theatre July 29, 2021.

The company has taken the difficult decision due to the uncertainly around ongoing COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, coupled with the suspension of the Australia/New Zealand travel bubble, announced by NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern late last week. 

“Our cast and crew have been working tirelessly, but COVID has beaten us to centre-stage this time,” says ACOCo Artistic Director, Linda Thompson. “We know any return to indoor performances will require a reduced audience capacity, which makes things financially difficult. And the fact that our two NZ artists need to return home within seven days, has sadly sealed our fate.”

Although a frustrating and deeply disappointing situation for ACOCo artists, musicians and crew, Thompson remains positive.

“I believe no artistic work is ever wasted. For established and emerging artists, the response from a live audience is the ultimate motivation, but the process is valuable in its own right. The audience - eventually - benefits from any work done by artists and creative practitioners in preparation and practise of their craft. We thank our donors and supporters, who through their generosity, recognise and enable that.”

In the short term, the company is turning its attention to The Enchanted Pig - The Film, slated for release later this year. And fingers remained tightly crossed for ACOCo’s Yarra Valley Opera Festival in October this year.

Ticket holders for ACOCo’s season of The Enchanted Pig will be contacted by TICKETEK with an offer to refund.

​

In the words of one of our young artists:

​

"When we finally can get this show on the stage it's going to be euphoric!"

​

Yours, 

​

ACOCo

​

"Princesses do not marry Pigs.
That's not the way life should be."

Based on Romanian and Norwegian folktales, The Enchanted Pig blends the worlds of opera, music theatre and vaudeville in a joyful, celebration of love in a charming production by Gale Edwards AM, with costumes by Oscar-winner, Tim Chappel. The Enchanted Pig is about love. Loud and clear, you hear love is a wonder, love is strange, and love is a drug. It can make you happy, a hero and a fool. 

For a Princess in love with a Pig (who is actually a King under a spell), it turns out that love, amongst other things, is a journey of trust, patience and perseverance. Love's story unfolds with the help of the Northwind, the Moon and the Milky Way, in a splendid staging by Gale Edwards and Australian Contemporary Opera Co.

A "dazzling treasure of rolling tunes and spicy lyrics", The Enchanted Pig has appeal across generations. Premiering in London in 2006, The Enchanted Pig was set to run for 3 weeks - and was extended for 10, before a season on Broadway in New York.  This new production, by Gale Edwards, premiered to rave reviews at the Yarra Valley Opera Festival in 2019.

With a cast involving leading international and rising professional artists, The Enchanted Pig is a celebration of love and relationships - bursting with energy and joy. This revival is led by director Linda Thompson, with Patrick Burns conducting the orchestra.

Winner:
Outstanding Production by an Independent Company
- Opera Chaser 2019

Eric Ormond Baker U25 Free Ticket Initiative